Although most commonly associated with semi trailers, fifth wheel trailers are often used as recreational vehicles, in conjunction with a towing vehicle, such as a conventional pickup truck. Fifth wheel trailers have a forward portion, which extends over the towing vehicle, and a kingpin that extends downward from the forward portion of the fifth wheel trailer for engagement with a fifth wheel trailer hitch that is attached to the towing vehicle. The fifth wheel trailer hitch is typically mounted directly above or slightly forward of the rear axle of the towing vehicle, in order to maintain a weight distribution that provides optimal ride characteristics and fuel economy.
When maneuvering the towing vehicle at low speeds, for example, when in parking lots or urban environments, sufficient clearance must be present between the fifth wheel trailer hitch and the cab of the towing vehicle so that the fifth wheel trailer does not contact the cab of the truck during sharp turns. When fifth wheel trailers are towed by pickup trucks having a standard eight-foot long bed, sufficient distance is present to allow clearance of the fifth wheel trailer with respect to the cab of the truck during sharp turns. However, when pickup trucks having six foot long “short-beds” are used as towing vehicles, the trailer hitch cannot be positioned sufficiently rearward to allow clearance during sharp turns while preserving fuel economy and ride quality.
In order to address this problem, previous designs have mounted a fifth wheel trailer hitch to rails, wherein the fifth wheel hitch may move between forward and rearward positions to allow the hitch to be temporarily moved rearward, away from the truck cab, thereby providing the necessary clearance between the rear of the truck cab and the front of the trailer during sharp turns. These mechanisms typically include locking pins, which hold the mechanism in either the forward or rearward position. However, operation of this type of mechanism requires that the vehicle operator exit the vehicle, manually remove one or more locking pins, reenter the vehicle, move the towing vehicle forward or aft, and then exit the vehicle to reinsert the locking pins to secure the sliding mechanism in place.
It would be desirable to have a sliding fifth wheel assembly for securing a fifth wheel trailer hitch in either a forward or a rearward position, wherein the fifth wheel trailer hitch could be moved between the forward and rearward positions without requiring the operator of the vehicle to exit the vehicle.